Game of Thrones: King of Magic

Chapter 72

Stannis Baratheon. King's Landing.

I entered Robert's study and saw what I expected to see. My brother was pouring wine down his throat, and his flushed face and wet beard told me he'd had enough.

- "Stannis? Why have you come? Again," he asked as soon as he saw me, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

- "I came to talk."

- "We've talked enough already," Robert said, "Or have you come to pity me as much as Cersei has? Or maybe you're here to remind me again what I can and can't do, hm?"

- "The queen?" I raised an eyebrow, "May I ask what your conversation was about?"

That was a strange thing to say. Considering their relationship was far from ideal, even more so than my own before Solomon's arrival, Cersei was unlikely to approach him about nothing.

Robert had many bastards, and all of the Seven Kingdoms knew exactly what kind of life the king led. The queen didn't like it, which she didn't hide much, and if you remembered the investigation that had slowed down with recent events and concerned her and Robert's children...

What did she want with him?

- "Nothing important," he snorted, "She asked Joffrey to attend a meeting of the Small Council, to which I said let him do as he pleased. And then she had the nerve to tell me she loved the wrong man and that I'd turned into a pig, for which she slapped me and left. I don't care."

- "You hit her?" I was surprised.

- "I don't care. I'm the king, and she let herself go too far by mentioning Lyanna," Robert replied, "So, what's your conversation?"

- "I managed to find gold on Dragonstone," I began, deciding to focus on the matter at hand, "And, if Braavos's official message is delayed, I'll be able to close about a third of the debt to the Iron Bank."

- "Only a third? Better than nothing," he said indifferently.

- "And that's the reason I came to talk. You need to find another two-thirds, that's about six hundred thousand Golden Dragons, and we can avoid a war we can't afford."

- "'Me' need to find?" Robert snorted, "You are my Small Council, you find it."

- "And we have found, but we need your approval and an appeal to the people," I replied, "Lord Stark and Lord Baelish and I have decided that there are only two ways: borrowing from the Great Houses, which is unlikely..."

- "I've heard you say that before," he interrupted me.

- "Or raise taxes and cut spending at the same time," I continued, frowning, "And that would require you to fulfill your royal duties."

- "You've gotten bolder while you've been sitting on your island, Stannis," Robert grinned, to which I didn't respond, "All right, I'll give you a statement, but why did you come to tell me that and not Ned? He would have handled it far better than a stale lump of coal like you."

- "I asked Lord Stark to do it."

- "And why would you do that? To piss me off?"

- "No," I said and took a deep breath, "Robert, things between us have never been warm, and perhaps in some ways that suited us both. But now it's time to change."

- "You frighten me, Stannis. Has your new faith finally driven you mad?" Robert said with some shock, and I could understand why.

- "I never thought I'd be saying this to you, either, and yet here I am," I continued, "Some time ago, a Stark sorcerer came to Dragonstone and cured Shireen. And right after that, Dragonstone was no longer the prison I'd thought it was for years."